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First in a groundbreaking trilogy, this is no ordinary tale, no ordinary book. Shanghai, 1920. While on board the "Expedient", Doug and Becca MacKenzie stumble across an amazing secret. What unfolds is a story of two young people caught up in an astonishing adventure and a story of an ancient order created to protect the world from evil...Using a remarkable archive of documents, the extraordinary events that took place over 85 years ago have been painstakingly reconstructed for the very first time.; Illustrated in colour, this fiction adventure comes from a startling new talent.; Major PR and publicity coverage, including online viral campaign and microsite.; Trade and consumer advertising, including nationwide outdoor 6-sheet displays.

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Product description

Review

About the Author

Joshua Mowll studied at art school before working as a graphic artist in newspapers. He has worked for The Mail on Sunday since 1994, illustrating everything from maps, diagrams and space flights to medical procedures and aircraft crashes. Joshua didn't think about writing until he inherited the Honourable Guild of Specialists archive from his great-aunt. This is his first book.

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Well, in truth, neither of us did, but I became a dad for the first time and Joshua brought into existence his beautiful children's novel, Operation Red Jericho. I remember vividly reading Amanda Craig's review in the Times and thinking, I must find this book. Fortunately, I worked in Waterstones at the time, so this was a fairly straightforward process. The book (the hardback) was a work of art. A beautiful textured, Moleskine-like notebook, filled with the most incredible maps, pictures and diagrams. It had fold out schematics of fictional, fantastical vehicles and devices. It was something to treasure, even if I never read it.

I justified the purchase, because I had a son now, and yes I should be buying nappies, clothes and exorbitantly priced travel systems, but one day, I was going to need to read him books, and well, it's good to plan ahead. The following year, Operation Typhoon Shore arrived and finally Operation Storm City came along too. I bought them all and they sat on the shelf until this summer.

This year, having read my son the Hobbit but floundered with the Lord of the Rings (he was insistent, but we got lost in the fog on the barrow downs), we were looking for something else to read. After a couple of false starts I pulled down Red Jericho and lured him in with the blueprint of a nemoesque subermsible. He took the bait, hook, line and sinker...

It's fair to say he absolutely loved the adventures of Becca and Doug McKenzie. You can always tell a good children's book, by the size of the tantrum at the end of a chapter. It's a sad truth (or at least it is in this house) that the best books make getting the children off to sleep all the harder. The story is in the 'Boys Own' mould; plucky upper class children, who are far too inquisitive for their own good. Occasionally I was just waiting for somebody to request 'lashings of ginger beer,' but this shouldn't put you off. Characterisation is strong, and whether male or female all have an equal part in the daring-do.

The plot involves disappearing parents, pirates, explosions, kidnapping, sword fights, madcap inventions and shadowy elite warriors. There really is nothing not to like. Set in Asia during the 1920s it feels historically accurate, aided and abetted by colourful maps, excerpts from mocked-up journals and blurry 'antique' photographs. Doug and Becca discover their parents were members of a secret society called the 'Guild of Specialists' but the children have no idea what they were searching for when they went missing. Becca and Doug's investigations take them to various dens of iniquity, and situations more dangerous than they could have imagined. Running alongside are a French scientist wanted for a murder and a mysterious and powerful element, Zoridium, that has the potential to change the world.

Some of the language was a little too dense for Ethan (who's coming up 9), he certainly would have been too young to read it himself, but as a read aloud book it was great. It provoked much pre-bed discussion. The illustrations are peerless, and perfect for firing up the imaginations of inquisitive children. The story held his interest, and whilst there was the occasional gory bit, there was nothing to upset him. Upon finishing Red Jericho, he immediately started leafing through Typhoon Shore. I don't think a recommendation can come higher than that. I'm not sure these books are still in print, but they are well worth picking up for they are works of art with brilliant stories. What more incentive do you need?

Got this as a Christmas presnt for my kids and they loved it.They also persuaded me to read it and I have to say it is just as good as they told me.All the maps, plans, diagrams, character sketches and other illustrations assist in bringing this story to life at several levels.Looking forward to the next book in the trilogy...

I picked this up for around UKP3 in a remaindered bookstore and am glad that I did - it's a lovely little volume - but also glad I didn't pay more.

The clothbound hardcover, with it's elastic-banded journal format is a very nicely put-together artefact, with heaps of great sketches and illustrations and lovingly-detailed pull-out charts.

However, the writing is frankly poor (compared with, say, the Philips Pullman and Reeve) and I couldn't wait to finish, in order to start a better book. This may be okay for children - but even then I suspect I'm doing them a disservice, as they deserve good writing, too. Basically, the prose was clunky (under a facade of pacy brevity) and the story was rather cliché-ridden. Certain things - like the protaganists names - just didn't sit right and characterisation was two-dimensional at best. A fun romp, but not one of the great achievements of recent "young-person's literature".

I read this book with my 9 year old daughter and we both really enjoyed it. She got absorbed into pretending it was a real story with the 'diary entries' , detailed diagrams, maps, old photos and documents scattered throughout the text. We thought it was a great feature that added interest and a touch of realism to the story. Others have written that the text was clunky and cliched and perhaps they have a point but we didn't notice...we just whizzed through the book at a cracking pace because we were having such a good adventure. So my advice is to enjoy this fast paced book with your older primary, lower high school child (has a bit of violence and menacing characters in it). We will be reading the other two books in the trilogy on the strength of this one.

This is book illustrates the move of fantasy into reality. The story has not yet become real but plays at the edge of the possible and creates the feeling of a divergent past that was not realised.The apparatus of the book, maps, diagrams, file entries furnishes its world with artifacts for the archeologist in all of us and enables the author to imply structures not described. Ideal for those whose imagination will engage in myth making